FERDINANDmGerman, French, Dutch, English, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Ancient GermanicFrom Ferdinando, the old Spanish form of a Germanic name composed of the elements fardi "journey" and nand "daring, brave". The Visigoths brought the name to the Iberian Peninsula, where it entered into the royal families of Spain and Portugal. From there it became common among the Habsburg royal family of the Holy Roman Empire and Austria, starting with the Spanish-born Ferdinand I in the 16th century. A notable bearer was Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521), called Fernão de Magalhães in Portuguese, who was the leader of the first expedition to sail around the earth.

FIRMINmFrench, Medieval EnglishFrom the Late Latin name Firminus meaning "firm". This was the name of several early saints, notably the 3rd-century bishop Saint Firmin (or Fermin) of Amiens who is especially venerated in Navarre, Spain.

FLORENCEf & mEnglish, FrenchFrom the Latin name Florentius or the feminine form Florentia, which were derived from florens "prosperous, flourishing". Florentius was borne by many early Christian saints, and it was occasionally used in their honour through the Middle Ages. In modern times it is mostly feminine.... [more]

FLORIANmGerman, Polish, FrenchFrom the Roman cognomen Florianus, a derivative of FLORUS. This was the name of a short-lived Roman emperor of the 3rd century. It was also borne by Saint Florian, a martyr of the 3rd century, the patron saint of Poland and Upper Austria.

FLORIMONDmLiterature, FrenchPossibly from Latin florens meaning "prosperous, flourishing" combined with the Germanic element mund meaning "protection". This is the name of the prince in some versions of the fairy tale 'Sleeping Beauty'.

FRANCISm & fEnglish, FrenchEnglish form of the Late Latin name Franciscus meaning "Frenchman", ultimately from the Germanic tribe of the Franks, who were named for a type of spear that they used. This name was borne by the 13th-century Saint Francis of Assisi, who was originally named Giovanni but was given the nickname Francesco by his father, an admirer of the French. Francis went on to renounce his father's wealth and devote his life to the poor, founding the Franciscan order of friars. Later in his life he apparently received the stigmata.... [more]

FRANK (1)mEnglish, German, Dutch, FrenchFrom a Germanic name that referred to a member of the Germanic tribe, the Franks. The Franks settled in the regions now called France and the Netherlands in the 3rd and 4th century. They derived their tribal name from the name of a type of spear that they used. From medieval times, the various forms of this name have been commonly conflated with the various forms of Francis.... [more]

GASTONmFrenchPossibly from a Germanic name derived from the element gast meaning "stranger, guest". This is the usual French name for Saint Vedastus, called Vaast in Flemish, and alternatively the name may be connected to it. The name was also borne by several counts of Foix-Béarn, beginning in the 13th century.

GENEVIÈVEfFrenchFrom the medieval name Genovefa, which is of uncertain origin. It could be derived from the Germanic elements kuni "kin, family" and wefa "wife, woman". Alternatively it could be of Gaulish origin, from the related Celtic element genos "kin, family" combined with a second element of unknown meaning. This name was borne by Saint Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris, who inspired the city to resist the Huns in the 5th century.

GEOFFREYmEnglish, FrenchFrom a Norman French form of a Germanic name. The second element is Germanic frid "peace", but the first element may be either gawia "territory", walha "foreign" or gisil "hostage". It is possible that two or more names merged into a single form. In the later Middle Ages Geoffrey was further confused with the distinct name Godfrey.... [more]

GILBERTmEnglish, French, Dutch, German, Ancient GermanicMeans "bright pledge", derived from the Germanic elements gisil "pledge, hostage" and beraht "bright". The Normans introduced this name to England, where it was common during the Middle Ages. It was borne by a 12th-century British saint, the founder of the religious order known as the Gilbertines.

GISELLEfFrench, English (Modern)Derived from the Germanic word gisil meaning "hostage, pledge". This name may have originally been a descriptive nickname for a child given as a pledge to a foreign court. It was borne by a daughter of the French king Charles III who married the Norman leader Rollo in the 10th century. The name was popular in France during the Middle Ages (the more common French form is Gisèle). Though it became known in the English-speaking world due to Adolphe Adam's ballet 'Giselle' (1841), it was not regularly used until the 20th century.

GUSTAVEmFrenchFrench form of GUSTAV. This name was borne by the French artist Gustave Doré (1832-1883).

GUY (1)mEnglish, FrenchNorman French form of WIDO. The Normans introduced it to England, where it was common until the time of Guy Fawkes (1570-1606), a revolutionary who attempted to blow up the British parliament. The name was revived in the 19th century, due in part to characters in the novels 'Guy Mannering' (1815) by Sir Walter Scott and 'The Heir of Redclyffe' (1854) by C. M. Yonge.

HAYDÉEfSpanish, French (Rare)Spanish and French form of HAIDEE, from Byron's 'Don Juan' (1819). It was later used by Alexander Dumas for a character in 'The Count of Monte Cristo' (1844).

HECTORmEnglish, French, Greek Mythology (Latinized), Arthurian RomanceLatinized form of Greek ‘Εκτωρ (Hektor), which was derived from ‘εκτωρ (hektor) "holding fast", ultimately from εχω (echo) meaning "to hold, to possess". In Greek legend Hector was one of the Trojan champions who fought against the Greeks. After he killed Achilles' friend Patroclus in battle, he was himself brutally slain by Achilles, who proceeded to tie his dead body to a chariot and drag it about. This name also appears in Arthurian legends belonging to King Arthur's foster father.... [more]

HERBERTmEnglish, German, Dutch, French, SwedishDerived from the Germanic elements hari "army" and beraht "bright". The Normans introduced this name to England, where it replaced an Old English cognate Herebeorht. In the course of the Middle Ages it became rare, but it was revived in the 19th century.

HONORINEfFrenchFrench form of Honorina, a feminine form of the Roman name Honorinus, a derivative of HONORIUS. Saint Honorina was a 4th-century martyr from the Normandy region in France.

HORACEmEnglish, FrenchEnglish and French form of HORATIUS, and the name by which the Roman poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus is commonly known those languages. In the modern era it has been used as a given name since the Renaissance, in honour of the poet.

HUBERTmEnglish, German, Dutch, French, Polish, Ancient GermanicMeans "bright heart", derived from the Germanic elements hug "heart, mind" and beraht "bright". Saint Hubert was an 8th-century bishop of Maastricht who is considered the patron saint of hunters. The Normans brought the name to England, where it replaced an Old English cognate Hygebeorht. It died out during the Middle Ages but was revived in the 19th century.

HUMBERTmFrench, German (Rare), English (Rare), Ancient GermanicMeans "bright warrior", derived from the Germanic elements hun "warrior, bear cub" and beraht "bright". The Normans introduced this name to England, though it has always been uncommon there. It was borne by two kings of Italy (called Umberto in Italian), who ruled in the 19th and 20th centuries.

ISABELfSpanish, Portuguese, English, French, GermanMedieval Occitan form of ELIZABETH. It spread throughout Spain, Portugal and France, becoming common among the royalty by the 12th century. It grew popular in England in the 13th century after Isabella of Angoulême married the English king John, and it was subsequently bolstered when Isabella of France married Edward II the following century.... [more]

JADEf & mEnglish, FrenchFrom the name of the precious stone that is often used in carvings. It is derived from Spanish (piedra de la) ijada meaning "(stone of the) flank", relating to the belief that jade could cure renal colic. As a given name, it came into general use during the 1970s. It was initially unisex, though it is now mostly feminine.

JANVIERmFrenchFrench form of JANUARIUS. Though now rare in France, it is more common in French-speaking parts of Africa.

JASMINEfEnglish, FrenchFrom the English word for the climbing plant with fragrant flowers that is used for making perfumes. It is derived from Persian یاسمن (yasamen), which is also a Persian name.

JASONmEnglish, French, Greek Mythology (Anglicized), BiblicalFrom the Greek name Ιασων (Iason), which was derived from Greek ιασθαι (iasthai) "to heal". In Greek mythology Jason was the leader of the Argonauts. After his uncle Pelias overthrew his father Aeson as king of Iolcos, Jason went in search of the Golden Fleece in order to win back the throne. During his journeys he married the sorceress Medea, who helped him gain the fleece and kill his uncle, but who later turned against him when he fell in love with another woman.... [more]

JEAN (1)mFrenchFrench form of Jehan, the Old French form of Iohannes (see JOHN). The French philosophers Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) and Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) were two well-known bearers of this name. It was also borne by the German-French Dadaist artist Jean Arp (1886-1966).

JESSICAfEnglish, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Italian, SpanishThis name was first used in this form by Shakespeare in his play 'The Merchant of Venice' (1596), where it belongs to the daughter of Shylock. Shakespeare probably based it on the biblical name ISCAH, which would have been spelled Jescha in his time. It was not commonly used as a given name until the middle of the 20th century. Notable bearers include actresses Jessica Tandy (1909-1994) and Jessica Lange (1949-).

JOCELYNf & mEnglish, FrenchFrom a Germanic masculine name, variously written as Gaudelenus, Gautselin, Gauzlin, along with many other spellings. It was derived from the Germanic element gaut, which was from the name of the Germanic tribe the Geats or Goths, combined with a Latin diminutive suffix. The Normans brought this name to England in the form Goscelin or Joscelin, and it was common until the 14th century. It was revived in the 20th century primarily as a feminine name, perhaps an adaptation of the surname Jocelyn (a medieval derivative of the given name). In France this is a masculine name only.

JORDANm & fEnglish, French, MacedonianFrom the name of the river that flows between the countries of Jordan and Israel. The river's name in Hebrew is יַרְדֵן (Yarden), and it is derived from יָרַד (yarad) meaning "descend" or "flow down". In the New Testament John the Baptist baptizes Jesus Christ in its waters, and it was adopted as a personal name in Europe after crusaders brought water back from the river to baptize their children. There may have been some influence from the Germanic name JORDANES, notably borne by a 6th-century Gothic historian.... [more]

JOSÉm & fSpanish, Portuguese, FrenchSpanish and Portuguese form of JOSEPH, as well as a French variant. In Spanish-speaking regions it is occasionally used as a feminine middle name (or the second part of a double name), often paired with María.

JOSEPHmEnglish, French, German, BiblicalFrom Ioseph, the Latin form of Greek Ιωσηφ (Ioseph), which was from the Hebrew name יוֹסֵף (Yosef) meaning "he will add", from the root יָסַף (yasaf). In the Old Testament Joseph is the eleventh son of Jacob and the first with his wife Rachel. Because he was the favourite of his father, his older brothers sent him to Egypt and told their father that he had died. In Egypt, Joseph became an advisor to the pharaoh, and was eventually reconciled with his brothers when they came to Egypt during a famine. This name also occurs in the New Testament, belonging to Saint Joseph the husband of Mary, and to Joseph of Arimathea.... [more]

JUDICAËLmFrench, BretonFrench form of the Old Breton name Iudicael, derived from the elements iud "lord, prince" and cael "generous". This was the name of a 7th-century Breton king, also regarded as a saint.

JUDITHfEnglish, Jewish, French, German, Spanish, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name יְהוּדִית (Yehudit) meaning "Jewish woman", feminine of יְהוּדִי (yehudi), ultimately referring to a person from the tribe of Judah. In the Old Testament Judith is one of the Hittite wives of Esau. This is also the name of the main character of the apocryphal Book of Judith. She killed Holofernes, an invading Assyrian commander, by beheading him in his sleep.... [more]

JULES (1)mFrenchFrench form of JULIUS. A notable bearer of this name was the French novelist Jules Verne (1828-1905), author of 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea' and other works of science fiction.

JUSTINmEnglish, French, SloveneFrom the Latin name Iustinus, which was derived from JUSTUS. This was the name of several early saints including Justin Martyr, a Christian philosopher of the 2nd century who was beheaded in Rome. It was also borne by two Byzantine emperors. As an English name, it has occasionally been used since the late Middle Ages, though it did not become common until the 20th century. Famous modern bearers include pop stars Justin Timberlake (1981-) and Justin Bieber (1994-).

KENZOmJapanese, French (Modern)Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 謙三 or 健三 or 賢三 (see KENZOU). Use of the name in France can probably be attributed to the fashion brand Kenzo, founded in 1970 by the Japanese-French designer Kenzo Takada (1939-).

KEVINmEnglish, Irish, French (Modern), German (Modern), Dutch (Modern), Swedish (Modern), Norwegian (Modern), Danish (Modern)Anglicized form of the Irish name Caoimhín, derived from the older Irish Cóemgein, composed of the Old Irish elements cóem "kind, gentle, handsome" and gein "birth". Saint Caoimhín established a monastery in Glendalough, Ireland in the 6th century and is the patron saint of Dublin. It became popular in the English-speaking world outside of Ireland in the middle of the 20th century, and elsewhere in Europe in the late 20th century.

LOUISmFrench, English, DutchFrench form of Ludovicus, the Latinized form of LUDWIG. This was the name of 18 kings of France, starting with Louis I the son of Charlemagne. Others include Louis IX (Saint Louis) who led two crusades and Louis XIV (called the Sun King) who was the ruler of France during the height of its power, the builder of the Palace of Versailles, and the longest reigning monarch in the history of Europe. It was also borne by kings of Germany (as Ludwig), Hungary (as Lajos), and other places.... [more]

LOUPmFrenchFrench form of the Late Latin name Lupus meaning "wolf". Lupus was the name of several early saints, including a 5th-century bishop of Troyes who apparently convinced Attila to spare the city.